On any given day, a doctor likely has somewhere around 20 patients to see – in addition to calls, paperwork, as well as other administrative duties. It leaves precious little time spent with each person, which explains why it’s imperative to take advantage of that time and ensure you clearly understand the results of doctors visits.
At JFS Care, our care professionals offer transportation and accompaniment for seniors to medical appointments, and recommend the following approach:
- Don’t be hesitant to ask questions. With such a time crunch, your doctor may have a tendency to communicate information to you quickly. That’s why it’s up to you to hit the pause button to ensure that you fully grasp everything that is being communicated and to speak up with any questions you have, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant it may seem they happen to be.
- Prepare ahead of time for those concerns. It could be difficult to process everything being shared with you in the couple of minutes spent with the physician. Developing a list of issues in advance will help ensure nothing slips through the cracks. A few of the questions to consider include:
- What are the long and short term ramifications of my condition?
- What might be the cause of this problem?
- Is there a treatment?
- Where may I obtain further information?
- Will I require any specialized tests?
- Are there any kind of expected negative effects from those tests?
- When am I going to obtain the test results?
- What treatments are out there to help with my situation?
- What are the possible adverse side effects of these drug treatments?
- What are the changes in lifestyle I should look into making?
- Take comprehensive notes. Bring along paper and a pen, or use the notes section of your smartphone or tablet, and write down responses to your questions along with additional information the physician provides. It can also be useful to have a trusted friend or professional caregiver present during the appointment in order to make sure everything is recorded.
- Include other medical experts. Bear in mind that even though the information given by the doctor is vital, other individuals within the senior’s medical team could offer valuable insight as well: nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, dieticians, physical therapists, etc. Follow up with these professionals for added assistance with carrying out the doctor’s directions if warranted.
When looking for home care services in Encino and nearby areas, look no further than JFS Care. We’re always here to help older adults through medical appointments and doctors visits in a variety of ways, and also to help implement doctors’ recommendations after returning home. We can provide transportation, medication reminders, preparation of meals that are in adherence with any prescribed dietary plan, and many other tasks to ensure optimum health for seniors. Contact us online or at (213) 383-2273 for additional information about our top-rated home care services in Los Angeles!